Nov. 4, 2013

Written by

Detroit Free Press Staff Writer

Incumbent mayors in three of Wayne County’s larger cities — Hamtramck, Dearborn Heights and Westland — are facing challenges in Tuesday’s general election.

In Hamtramck, Mayor Karen Majewski is facing a familiar foe in her quest for a third consecutive term amid a criminal investigation into ballot tampering by a former City Council candidate.

Majewski, who became the first woman to lead the city in 2005, will face off against Councilman Abdul Algazali. Algazali led vote-getters in the Aug. 6 primary, 731-670, and would be the first mayor who is not of Polish descent should he win Tuesday. He lost to Majewski by 124 votes in the 2009 general election.

Absentee ballots in the August election have become cause for concern after three men, including a former Hamtramck City Council candidate, were accused of ballot tampering. The Hamtramck residents — 50-year-old Salim Ahmed, 33-year-old Armani Asad and 32-year-old Russell Mohammed — face various counts of improper possession of absentee ballots. Asad was eliminated from the City Council race in the August primary. Ahmed was a campaign worker.

There were 735 absentee ballots filed for the Aug. 6 election, about twice the number submitted during the 2012 presidential election.

Deputy City Clerk August Gitschlag told authorities that the men delivered the ballots to City Hall, in violation of state election law, which says those in possession of ballots must be the voter, a relative, mail carrier or authorized official. An investigation continues.

Westland: Mayor stays, if he wants

In Westland, Mayor William Wild is running unopposed for a third term at a time when the city is sitting on a $5-million budget surplus despite shrinking property taxes, which most cities lean on to function.

Wild is also exploring a run for Wayne County executive, saying recently that fund-raising has begun during the exploratory process. In a MIRS poll last week asking Wayne County voters their preferences among five potential candidates for executive, Wild tied with incumbent Robert Ficano at 11%, the lowest of all listed in the poll. Detroit Mayor Dave Bing led with 20%.

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Dearborn Heights: Blight vs. budget

The race for mayor in Dearborn Heights pits incumbent Daniel Paletko against 12-year City Council veteran Janet Badalow, who says blight and lack of city ordinance regulation have made her longtime home unrecognizable. She mentioned a recent dog attack in which a pit bull killed a poodle. Police arrived later and shot the larger dog to death.

It could have been avoided with a visit from animal control, she said; Paletko eliminated the city’s animal control officer several budgets ago.

“I remember what it looked like and how it was around here,” said Badalow, 43. “When I walk around now, it’s just not the same.”

Paletko, 62, who was first sworn in as mayor in 2004, highlights efforts to work with the community on making sure the city didn’t succumb to the “depression-like” conditions that hit many Michigan municipalities when the economy tanked. That’s why the city ended the previous fiscal year with a $3.2 million surplus, he said.

“Being able to have the community assist us, and being able to have labor and management to work together was big here,” he said. “It’s the secret to my success. Blending our talents for different goals has made us a better city.”

He’s running again, he said, because with the budget stabilized, he wants to build on other successes.

“I think we have the skills to run a good, responsible city,” he said. “We’re constantly trying to do new things.”

Grosse Pointes: Judge or lawyer?

Voters in Grosse Pointe Farms and Grosse Pointe Shores will decide whether to return municipal court Judge Matthew Rumora to the bench for another four-year term or elect his challenger, Matthew Peck.

Rumora, a former prosecutor, has served for 22 years on the bench and has been in private practice for 36 years. Peck, a partner in the Detroit law firm Fischer, Franklin & Ford, has criminal and civil experience and worked in the Wayne County Prosecutor’s office while attending law school.